Rhubarb Maple Baked Oatmeal

As noted in the Plan-Ahead Salad post, there has been a lot of planning ahead for meals happening lately (except for those dinners that end up being cereal or spoonfuls of nutella... guilty as charged).  Mornings tend to be a rush for the door, leaving breakfast as a last thought.  I couldn't say no to the beautiful rhubarb at the farmers market last weekend, and thought it might perfectly suit a make-ahead breakfast.

This baked oatmeal comes together in a flash, and keeps all week for easy eat-and-go breakfasts.  The rhubarb blueberry layer on the bottom gets syrupy and soft, while the oat layer over top softens and crisps around the edges.  Adding sliced almonds gives the perfect crunch in each bite, and local strawberries top the oats off just right.  I have loved eating this in the morning all week, heated in the microwave and drizzled with a bit of maple syrup.  The only downside to this dish is having to turn on the oven on a hot day... but it more than pays off!

Rhubarb Maple Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup frozen blueberries (feel free to use fresh!)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buckwheat flour (or any flour of your choosing)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup oats

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sliced almonds

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  

2.  Mix together rhubarb, blueberries, 2 tbsp buckwheat flour, and brown sugar.  Layer this mixture in the bottom of a pie dish or 9x9 baking dish. 

3.  Combine the dry ingredients: remaining buckwheat flour, oats, 1/2 cup almonds, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Once well combined, pour evenly over rhubarb mixture.

4.  Combine the wet ingredients: almond milk, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla.  Pour over the oat layer evenly, gently moving around (not quite mixing) the layers to ensure the liquid gets to the bottom. You don't want to mix the layers here!

5.  Top with remaining 2 tbsp of almonds and sliced strawberries.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes if serving immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate if using later.

6.  Relish in how amazing your mornings just became.